Date: Tuesday 22nd May, 6pm-7.30pm

Venue: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Room (off Westminster Hall), Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA

The FPC, with the kind support of the Open Society Foundations, is delighted to announce a major Westminster seminar to discuss some of the key issues addressed in our new Spotlight on Azerbaijan publication. The event will explore the major challenges Azerbaijan faces regarding democratic development, rule of law, media freedom, corruption and other human rights issues, while examining the impact of its international relationships and the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on its domestic politics.

Our panel will comprise:

• Emma Reynolds MP, Shadow Europe Minister
• Vugar Gojayev, Country Coordinator, Human Rights House-Azerbaijan
• Dr Leila Alieva, Director, the Center for National and International Studies (CNIS)
• Dennis Sammut, Director, LINKS

Chair: Adam Hug, Policy Director, Foreign Policy Centre

The event is free and open to all. Copies of Spotlight on Azerbaijan will be available free of charge.

To RSVP please email: events@fpc.org.uk

Download London launch invite (130 kilobyte PDF)

UK perspectives on EU employment and social law

Date: Friday 15th June 6pm-7.30pm

Venue: Diamond Room, Macdonald Burlington, Burlington Arcade, 126 New Street, Birmingham, B2 4JQ

The FPC, EC and TUC's 'Single Market, Equal Rights?' Birmingham seminar will bring together a range of different British perspectives on the EU's role in employment and social law. The event will look at the current state of the debate in Brussels on employment and social rights, take the political temperature in the UK around the issue and set out the benefits and challenges for workers, businesses and the country.

Our panel will comprise:

• Emma Reynolds MP, Shadow Europe Minister
• Malcolm Harbour MEP, Chair European Parliament Single Market Committee
• Lorely Burt MP, Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party
• Rob Johnston, Midlands Regional Secretary, TUC
• Dr Anneliese Dodds, Lecturer in Public Policy, Aston University

Chair: Adam Hug, Policy Director, FPC

The event is free and open to all.

Please contact events@fpc.org.uk to RSVP for this event

Download Single Market, Equal Rights? Birmingham event invitation (180 kilobyte PDF)

By Firdevs Robinson.

FPC Senior Research Associate Firdevs Robinson gives a detailed and wide ranging account of the current challenges facing the long-running attempts to resolve the division and separation of Cyprus. She argues that unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is loosing hope that meaningful progress will be made in the near future and that as the Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cyprus) moves towards holding the EU Presidency, Brussels is no longer seen by the TRNC as a positive actor. She also draws attention to the growing rifts between the TRNC and Turkey on cultural and political lines, while exploring the current phase of tensions between Greek Cyprus and Turkey.

Download FPC Briefing: Cyprus: One step forward, two steps back (330 kilobyte PDF)

By Firdevs Robinson.

FPC Senior Research Associate gives her analysis of Turkey's role on the international stage and as a leading player in the evolving map of the Middle East. She notes Turkey's enhanced prestige but assesses the on going problems with Syria, France, Cyprus and the challenges it faces at home.

Download FPC Briefing: Turkey – Role Model or Regional Bully? (420 kilobyte PDF)

By Tanweer Ali.

The Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas could have done without this month's fiscal compact. The size of his government's majority might give a misleading impression of stability, in a three-party coalition which is fractious and riven with rivalries; the strains became apparent not long after the government was formed in the summer of 2010. Moreover, the past few weeks have seen a spate of ministerial resignations amidst evidence of impropriety, and the government is badly trailing the opposition Social Democrats in the polls.

Full text 

Adam Hug (Ed.)

May 2012 Hard copy: £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download Spotlight on Azerbaijan (1.27 megabyte PDF)

The Foreign Policy Centre is delighted to announce the launch of an important new publication, Spotlight on Azerbaijan, that brings together the analysis of leading experts on Azerbaijan to look at the key human rights and governance issues in Azerbaijan including democratic development, rule of law, media freedom and property rights, while examining the impact of its international relationships, the economy and the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on domestic issues.

Edited by Adam Hug (Foreign Policy Centre) and supported by the Open Society Foundations, Spotlight on Azerbaijan contains contributions from: Vugar Bayramov (Centre for Economic and Social Development); Michelle Brady (American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative-Azerbaijan); Giorgi Gogia (Human Rights Watch); Vugar Gojayev (Human Rights House-Azerbaijan); Rashid Hajili (Media Rights Institute); Jacqueline Hale (OSI-Brussels); Tabib Huseynov; Monica Martinez (OSCE-Baku); Dr Katy Pearce (University of Washington); Firdevs Robinson (Foreign Policy Centre); Dennis Sammut (LINKS).

Owen Tudor (ed.), Adam Hug (Ed.)

February 2012 Hard copy: £4.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Download Single Market, Equal Rights? (1.03 megabyte PDF)

Single Market, Equal Rights? UK perspectives on EU employment and social law gives a wide-ranging assessment of the contentious British debate over Europe's role in determining the level of employment and social rights. It explores:

• The UK-specific dimensions of the debate, both in terms of the party politics and the impact it has on the wider relationship between Britain and the EU
• The extent of EU involvement in employment and social protection compared to national action
• The relationship between the single market and EU employment and social law
• The balance between the role of the European Commission and the European Court of Justice
• The Posted Workers, Working Time and Agency Workers directives and other contentious issues

The publication is edited by Foreign Policy Centre Policy Director Adam Hug and the TUC's Head of European Union and International Relations Owen Tudor. It features contributions from a range of leading experts including: Prof Catherine Barnard (Trinity College, Cambridge), Karen Clements (British Chambers of Commerce), Prof Anne Davies (Brasenose College, Oxford), Prof Claire Kilpatrick (European University Institute), Lord Monks (formerly TUC and ETUC), Clare Moody (Unite), Mats Persson (Open Europe) and Ariane Poulain (Business for New Europe).

• Click here for audio of the Single Market Equal Rights Conf

Adam Hug (Ed.)

August 2011 Hard copy: £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

Download The New British Politics and Europe: Conflict or Cooperation (740 kilobyte PDF)

The FPC and European Commission Representation in the UK have published a new report entitled The new British politics and Europe: Conflict or cooperation? It explores how Britain's coalition government has coped with the potentially divisive issue of Europe, looking at how its approach has affected the UK's relations with other member states, what it means for the debate on the EU within the parties and the main challenges that lie ahead. The report also examines the way forward for Britain's pro-Europeans.

Edited by FPC Policy Director Adam Hug, the report features contributions from former Liberal Democrat leader Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP, leading Conservative Eurosceptic Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Labour's Shadow Europe Minister Wayne David MP, former Conservative leader in Brussels turned Lib Dem MEP and Vice-President of the European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, the founder of E!Sharp Paul Adamson and Professor of West European Politics at the University of Birmingham Anand Menon.

• The new British politics and Europe London event
• The new British politics and Europe Liverpool event
• The new British politics and Europe Edinburgh event

Date: Thursday 10th May, 3pm-4.30pm

Venue: Room Luxembourg, 1st floor, Eurocities Square de Meeûs 1, Brussels 1000

The FPC, kindly supported by the Open Society Institute-Brussels, is delighted to announce a major Brussels seminar to launch our new Spotlight on Azerbaijan publication and discuss some of the key issues that it addresses. The event will explore the major challenges Azerbaijan faces regarding democratic development, rule of law, media freedom, corruption and other human rights issues, while examining the impact of its international relationships and the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on its domestic politics.

Our panel will comprise:

• Richard Howitt MEP, Vice Chair of the European Parliament Human Rights Sub Committee and member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Dr Leila Alieva, Director, the Center for National and International Studies (CNIS)
• Vugar Gojayev, Country Coordinator, Human Rights House-Azerbaijan
• Jacqui Hale, Senior Policy Analyst - EU External Relations, OSI-Brussels

Chair: Adam Hug, Policy Director, Foreign Policy Centre

The event is free and open to all. Copies of Spotlight on Azerbaijan will be available free of charge.

To RSVP please email: events@fpc.org.uk

Download Spotlight on Azerbaijan: Brussels event (130 kilobyte PDF)

UK perspectives on EU employment and social law

Date: Friday 11th May 6pm-7.30pm

Venue: Hilton Cardiff, Kingsway, Cardiff, CF10 3HH

The FPC, EC and TUC's 'Single Market, Equal Rights?' Cardiff seminar will bring together a range of different British perspectives on the EU's role in employment and social law. The event will look at the current state of the debate in Brussels on employment and social rights, take the political temperature in the UK around the issue and set out the benefits and challenges for workers, businesses and the country.

Our panel will comprise:

• Kay Swinburne MEP, (Conservative)
• Derek Vaughan MEP, (Labour)
• Dr Nick Parsons, School of European Literature, Translation and Politics (EUROP), Cardiff University
• Emma Watkins, Regional Director, CBI Wales

Chair: Owen Tudor, Head of European Union and International Relations, TUC

The event is free and open to all.

Please contact events@fpc.org.uk to RSVP for this event

Download Cardiff event invitation (180 kilobyte PDF)

Please find below the combined event information for the Spotlight on Azerbaijan event series comprising events in Brussels on May 10th and London May 22nd featuring Emma Reynolds MP, Richard Howitt MEP, Dr Leila Alieva, Vugar Gojayev, Jacqui Hale, Dennis Sammut and Adam Hug.

Download Invitation to Spotlight on Azerbaijan launch event series (180 kilobyte PDF)